THE NATIVES. 
199 
wallet not examined the day before when he was in 
town ? # I think that there is little doubt that the 
police found no wallet at all upon the native, and 
that they coined away one of those found at the 
camp upon him, with a view to incriminate him. 
“ Another native, Charley, who was present when 
the said affair took place, tells me, that the police 
sneaked upon, and fired at them, while sitting 
round the fire that he jumped up, and endea- 
* There cannot be a greater act of injustice towards the na- 
tives than that of applying the English law to them with respect 
to stolen property. Any one who knows any thing of their 
habits, and the custom prevalent amongst them, of giving any 
European clothing, or other articles they may acquire, from 
one to another, must be fully aware how little the fact of their 
being found in possession of stolen property is just evidence 
against them. Articles such as I have mentioned, often pass, in 
a very short time, through the hands of three or four individuals, 
and perhaps even through as many tribes. 
f There must, I think, be some mistake here in the phraseo- 
logy. I cannot think any of the police would fire upon a small 
party of friendly natives whilst unresisting. The probability is, 
that they surrounded the natives to make prisoners, and fired 
upon being resisted. This must generally occur if the police 
have positive orders to make captures. Natives, not very much 
in contact with Europeans, will almost always resist an attempt 
to make prisoners of them, or will try to escape. Very many 
have, at various times, met their death under such circumstances ; 
and too often it has occurred, that the innocent have been the 
suffering parties. This shews the absurdity of applying European 
customs and laws to a people situated as the Australian natives 
are. It shews, too, the necessity of altering our present system 
and policy towards them, to one that will exercise sufficient in- 
